Suction cup



June 12, 1956 E, BQRAH 2,750,222

SUCTION CUP Filed July 2l, 1952 ATTOE/VEK United States Patentl SUCTION CUP- `lohn E. Borah, Mishawaka, Ind.

Application July 21,1952, Serial jNo. 300,061

Claims. (Cl. 294-49) This invention relates to improvements in suction cups.

The primary object of the invention is to produ-ce a device of this character which is adapted to adhere to surfaces which are non-planar, which are not flat,y and which may either be curved or roughened or pebbled.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which has a lip formed a't its margin and projectinginwardly therefrom, said lip tapering to a sharp free edge.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is Well suited for use as a retriever for golf balls, and whose circumferential size is not substantially greater than the circumferential size ofthe handle of a .golf shaft and is substantially less than the diameter of a Igolf ball, and which is light in weight so that it does not interfere with the .handling of a golf club vand does not unbalance the club or otherwise interfere with its normal use.

Other objects wil-l be apparent from the following r-specication..

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view illustrating the device 'mounted upon the handle kof a gol'i:` club to serve as a golf ball retriever.

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional view of one embodiment of the device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of thedevice taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the manner in which'the device conforms `to and adheres to the surface of a ball having a pebbled or irregular surface contour. g l

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view illustrating the manner in which the device tits uponAa ball of irregular contour.

Fig. 5 is anpenlarged fragmentary detail axial sectional viewof one embodiment ofthe device.

[Fig 6 is Van enlarged axial detail sectional `view of ranother embodiment of the invention.

Fig, 7 is a side view illustrating theapplication of a :modified embodiment of the invention to a curved surface.

Fig, 8 is a top view of the embodiment illustrated in ',Fig. 7 in its applied position. Y

Fig. 9 isa sectional .view illustratingthe deformed condition of the device while subjected to pressure incident to vapplication of the device to a surface, vand which illustrates in dotted linesthe normal adhered porsition of the device.

Referringto the drawing, and particularly to Figs. l to.5, whichillustrate one embodiment of the ,invention intended Vfor use. as a golf ball retriever, thenumeral 10 designates a golf club having :thelusual head 12, shaft 14 and handle 16. My improved golf ball retriever 18 is :mounted uponfthe free vor `upper end -of Vthe handle 16.

The retriever 18has avsocket portionv20 at one end thereofadapted to lit around thevfree end portion of the handle I6-0f the club vshaft .and a suction cup end Patented June 12, 1956 'ice When formed of rubber or synthetic rubber, a so-called soft rubber is required. The rubber will preferably be of such characterlthat its durometer measurement will be in thenrange from l5 to 70 and preferably will be less than 50.

Y Thecup portion 22 of the retainer hasa concave surface 26 whose curvature, ifA part-spherical, has a radius less than the radius of a golf ball 28, and which, if not truly part-spherical, has a concave surface so curved that the socket dened therebyv will be the equivalentof that provided by a part-spherical surface of lesser radius than a golf ball. The concave surface 26 terminates spaced from the end surface 30 ofthe cup portion 22 which is referably at or planar. The partsare so proportioned that the wall at 32, at the margin of the concave surface is thin and, therefore, readily yieldable.. A marginal flange 34 is carried by and projectsninwardly from the marginal. portion 32 of the cup.: The flange 34 tapers radially inwardly Land isv defined Ain part by the flat outer surface 30, and ,inpart by a frustoV conical or beveled inner surface 36. Said innerY beveled surface extends at an acute angle to the surface 30.. The angle may vary but preferably should be in the range between 15 deg. and 35 deg.

Forl purposes of illustration solely and to indicate the substantial proportion of theparts with relationto a golf ball which is customarily of a dimensionA slightly greater than 1% in. in diameter, theretainer will preferably be of an outer. diameter yof approximately 11/16 in., and the width of the ange at each surface 30 will be approximately %2 in., the thickness of the flange atk32 being approximately one-half the width of the flange in the plane 30, t The depth of the socket of the cup at its center, as compared tothe plane of the` surface 3l), will preferably be about 5/32 in.

The socket 26 willbe of a size to fit snugly upon the handle 16 of `agolf, club vand will have a thinwall .thickness sofas to avoid excessive bulk and circumferential dimension thereof where it fits upon the handle. The bore or socket 20 -will preferably be of a diameter slightly lessthan the diameter of the handle so as to lit snugly upon the .handle preferably with a constrictive fit. The general shape of the unit 18 will preferably be somewhat tapered, as illustrated in Fig. 2, but when the socket l20 is applied uponthe. handle, 'the extension or stretching of the, socket will enlarge it .to a diameter substantially equal to the major or maximum diameter of the cup portion of` the device. Consequently, no laterallprojec tion occurs, as best illustratedin Fig.,1, and, therefore, the devicedoes not interfere with the grip of the user uponthegolf club, particularly upon a putter, the same being the club -upon which it is most logicalto mount the retriever., The device is light in weight and, therefore, its use does notsubstantially alter the balanceor feel of the club or otherwise tend to create any condition which wouldvhamper the player in the .normalV use ofthe club.

Since themaximumouter diameter of `the retainenat the mouth of the suctioncupportion thereof is substantially less than the diameter of a golf ball, the device will apply only `toand receive arlimitedpart of .that ball, as illustrated vin the drawing in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.,

The flexibility vofthe cup, due, to its softness coupled with the fact that. the concave surface26 is of .substantialdepth, provides a fr ee space at 38 between the ball 28 and the concavecup surface 26. Therefore, when pressure isV applied axially of the suctioncup, the margin of the 'cupis deformed inra manner spreadingand tending A to enlarge Lthe diameter of they marginalwall portion 32.` At the same time the applicationof pressure effects anrintimate face .Contact 0f the ,flenjget with 'the Surface of the ball.- The `surface of the ball is commonly characterized by indentations d() which give it a pebbled surface, and the application of pressure causes those portions of the flange 34 which are adjacent to the depressions 4l) to be pushed into those depressions. The pressure applied must be sufficient to partly evacuate air from the space 38, and, consequently, upon release of pressure, a firm suctional adherence will exist between the suction cup and the golf ball at the flange 34 thereof. It will be apparent that since this flange is tapered, the tapering, coupled with the softness of the rubber of which it is formed, permits the flange to follow the surface contour it engages and to maintain an intimate adhesion or frictional contact therewith.

While the shape and character of the flange 34 as described above and as illustrated in Fig. 5 is preferred, it is not critical and alternative constructions may be applied, especially in instances where the device is intended for use as a golf ball retriever. One modified embodiment or alternative form is illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein the flange 34' is defined by a frusto conical outer surface 30' and a frusto conical inner surface 36. The angle between these surfaces should preferably be in the range between deg. and 30 deg. as specified above, and, preferably, the width or radial dimension of the flange portion 34 should be substantially equal to the thickness of the marginal portion 32 of the cup at the maximum inner diameter thereof, that is, at the junction of the flange 3ft with the body of the cup. Substantially the same advantages and functioning of the device occurs with respect to the Fig. 6 embodiment as occurs with respect to the Fig. 5 construction.

The suction cup may be used for other purposes than a golf ball retriever, and, in fact, may be used in any place where a conventional rubber suction cup now can be effectively used. The basic form of such a cup is illustrated in Fig. 7 where the cup is provided with a transverse wall S0 and a skirt portion 52 from which the marginal inwardly projecting flange 54 extends, the cup having the usual concave inner surface 56 comparable to the surface 26 above described. It will be understood that the concavity of the surface 56 for a standard suction cup need not be as great; that is, the depth of the socket need not be as great as that shown in the golf ball retriever in instances where the device is to be applied to flat surfaces in ordinary usage. In such constructions, instead of using a socket, there may be provided an axial stud or projection 58 of the character well understood in the art.

The use of such a suction cup is not limited to application to flat surfaces, but, instead, may be applied successfully to curved surfaces, either convex or concave in form. The application of the cup to a convex surface is illustrated in Fig. 7. One characteristic of the suction cup when applied to such curved surfaces is that the flange 54 will deflect axially, as illustrated in cross-section in Fig. 7, to accommodate an effective suction grip of the suction cup upon the curved surface. The softness of the rubber employed permits the body of the cup to be deformed substantially, as illustrated in Fig. 8, with its margin assuming a somewhat oval shape at 60, as illustrated. This will entail some curvature of the body at the shoulder 62 thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 7, but the curvature at 62, at least in cases where the surface 64 being contacted is of comparatively short radius, need not conform to the surface 64 and, instead, may have a lesser curvature, as seen in Fig. 7. The difference in curvature between 62 and 64 is accommodated by the axial projection of the flange 54, as illustrated in Fig. 7. As an indication of the capacity of a suction cup, made according to this disclosure, tests have been made in which a cup having a maximum diameter at its mouth in the order of 11/16 in. has been successfully adhered for long periods of time to a convex surface having a radius curvature as small as 11,41 in. While the application of the device to a curved surface has been illustrated only with respect to a convex surface, it will apply equally to a concave surface, the action in that instance being substantially the same and entailing the same deforming of the outer contour of the suction cup and the axial deflection of the lip or flange 54, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view which illustrates the manner in which the suction cup is deformed to apply it to a surface. In this figure the same numerals applied to Fig. 7 are ernployed, and the cupis illustrated as being applied to a flat surface. It will be observed that the inward or downward deflection of the central web of the cup is accompanied by an outward flexing of the skirt portion 52 of the cup to a substantially frusto conical outline as illustrated. This tends to circumferentially stretch the flange 54 to draw the same into intimate surface adhesion with the surface it engages. The distortion of the cup is illustrated by a comparison with the dotted lines which illustrate the substantially normal or unstressed shape of the same cup.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood that changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A ball retriever for gripping a ball having a pebbled surface characterized by shallow spaced indentations, comprising a cup-shaped imperforate body of a diameter less than the diameter of said ball, said body being formed of resilient material having a durometer measurement in the range from 20 to 70, said body having a skirt portion and a substantially uniform, narrow, continuous, marginal ball-engaging flange formed integrally with and projecting inwardly from the mouth of said skirt portion, said skirt portion being of a depth to receive a portion of said ball within said cup-shaped body with clearance in an axial direction, said flange having inner and outer faces and tapering radially inwardly of said body at an angle in the range between 15 and 35 with respect to each other and being of a width between the outer periphery of the body and the inner edge of the flange not substantially greater than twice the thickness of the skirt portion from which it projects, whereby said flange terminates in a sharp inner edge and is thin and flexible to conform yto the pebbled surface contour of a ball when pressed thereagainst substantially eoncentrically in a direction axially of said body and with sufficient pressure to circumferentially stretch said flange and partially expel air from the interior of said cup-shaped body.

2. A ball retriever as defined in claim 1, and means at the end of said body opposite the end from which said flange projects for mounting said body on a supporting member.

r3. A ball retriever as defined in claim 2, in which the means for mounting the body is an integral cup-shaped socket forming portion substantially axially aligned with and opposite said cup-shaped part adapted to fit frictionally on the end of the handle of a golf club.

4. A ball retriever as defined in claim 2, in which the means for mounting said body is a stem projecting centrally from the cup-shaped body opposite the end from which said flange projects and providing means to mount said body on a support.

5. A ball retriever as defined in claim 1, wherein both the inner and outer faces of said flange are beveled to space the edge of the flange inwardly from the plane of the mouth of said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 993,989 Hazelrigg May 30, 1911 1,152,981 Schacht Sept. 7, 1915 1,178,147 Gardner Apr. 4, 1916 1,655,979 Watkins Ian. 10, 1928 1,830,520 Moyses Nov. 3, 1931 2,126,689 Povliot Aug. 9, 1938 

